The Stormy Daniels Story Finally Has a Newsworthy Allegation

by | Mar 26, 2018

The Stormy Daniels Story Finally Has a Newsworthy Allegation

by | Mar 26, 2018

Stormy Daniels | Credit: Glenn Francis of www.PacificProDigital.com

After the interview with 60 Minutes, the story surrounding Stormy Daniels finally has something newsworthy about it.

In the discussion, Daniels said she was threatened to keep silent about her alleged affair with Donald Trump. The threat allegedly occurred in 2011, shortly after In Touch Magazine had offered her $15,000 for the story. In Touch ultimately declined to pursue the story.

Daniels said she was with her infant daughter at the time of the threat. This is how she described it in the interview:

“And a guy walked up on me and said to me, ‘Leave Trump alone. Forget the story,'” she said. “And then he leaned around and looked at my daughter and said, ‘That’s a beautiful little girl. It’d be a shame if something happened to her mom.’

“And then he was gone,” she said.

If true and ordered by Trump, this threat is the first aspect of the story that would rise to the level of criminality. It’s also the first element of the plot that could begin to justify the sustained media attention this case has received.

Until now, it was an extramarital affair and a non-disclosure agreement. If Trump had run as an exemplar of virtue and good moral character, the story would have been relevant. He did not.

Indeed, compared to the infamous  “grab ’em by the p****” line in the Access Hollywood tape, an extramarital affair would be quite bland for President Trump.

Trump’s voters preferred him in spite of his moral standing, not because of it.

There’s little doubt that the Stormy Daniels story will continue to dominate headlines and displace coverage of more important problems in the Trump administration–like the appointment of John Bolton, the ongoing US-backed onslaught in Yemen, or the apparent plan to withdraw from the Iran Deal, just to name a few.

Obviously, the media’s priorities are not ideal. But with the new allegation, at least there’s finally something in this story worth covering.

Eric Schuler

Eric Schuler is a contributor to The Libertarian Institute, with a focus on economics and US foreign policy. Follow his work here and on Twitter.

View all posts

Our Books

Shop books published by the Libertarian Institute.

libetarian institute longsleeve shirt

Our Books

cb0cb1ef 3fcb 417d 80d8 4eef7bbd8290

Recent Articles

Recent

Escalating an Unwinnable War

Escalating an Unwinnable War

President Donald Trump is set to repeat one of the worst mistakes of his first administration: fighting an unwinnable war in Yemen. This time, it could be far worse as Trump has sent two aircraft carrier strike groups to the Red Sea, meaning Americans will be doing...

read more
TGIF: The Great Carl Menger

TGIF: The Great Carl Menger

There can be no doubt among competent historians that if ... the Austrian School has occupied an almost unique position in the development of economic science, this is entirely due to the foundations laid by this one man.... [I]ts fundamental ideas belong fully and...

read more

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This